Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-12-22


There seems to have been tinge of melan-
choly in the heart of the prophet when he
wrote these worls-a kind OF giving way to
sadness and despair Perhaps he was just in
that frame of mind which comes to us all at
times, when frost seems to rest upon the
spots of life that are usually so green ana
fresh, and the atmosphere Of our surround,
ings is changed, we hardly know now, untp
we feel its chilliness.
When we are in such moods the autumnal
season of nature chimes in most harmonious
ly. Its decay and death help to deepen the
sadness and gloom of life, and so in our
PRAYERS and hymns of praise we mingle the
song of a fading leaf. In this way many
who look upon the darker side of life come to
dread the approach OF the season OF autumn,
for all through the days OF sunshine or OF
storm, as the leaves come quivering from
the branch and the flower withers on the
stem, they are brooding over Les short and
fieeting days.
But do we wisely thus to allow nature to
minister only to a morbid taste-to Keep
alive a thought of decay and deathi isthere
not higher and nobler view Of life that the
fading leaf may teach US and inspire toreach
after9
There is no season Of the year THAT opens
to us such varied contrasts Of life and death
as the season just preceding its winter. To
| take general survey Of the forests and fields
| we are struck with the rich and gorgeous
| coloring from the deep green to the bright
| yellow-all shades and varieties; some OF the
leaves clinging to life and retaining their
| greenness even after the cold November
| winds have shaken them from the trees,
! while others are turning purple, and crimson
/ and yellow. These varied tints give warm
1 glow to the forest and remind us that though
| the summer is past and Nature is preparing
1 forher winters sleep, there is still beauty in
autumn fruitage and the fading Leaf LEI
/ us pause to see how we may 'Nfade as the
leaf" and yet like the leaf remain thing OF
!. beauty.
i When the green leaf fades it merely give:
up its blue while it retains its yellow. The
yellow, OF golden coloring of the leaf, Is Its
more enduring tint. The blue tones dJwr
the yellow, making it pleasant to the sight IL
the glaring sunshine of the summer days,
but when the autumn haziness comes th'
4 light is not so intense end penetrating, anC
the blue. being no longer needed, fades away
Leaves fade in their season when fully ripe
are there not two colors entering In tt
make up the greenness OF our lives
the spiritual and the natural2 III
spiritual answers to the yellow in the leaf. !
a permanent color and gives golden finis
to the inner life. The natural answers :
the blue in the leaf, and gives freshness an
vivacity to the outward life.
Where the natural and the spiritual M
lures of man are harmoniously blended "
, have life's beautiful summer greenness, Br
in life's autumn there comes fading Of tn
natural and tho spiritual shines moi
brightly.
TO fade, then, like the leaf, is to bring
: view more prominently that which IS mo
, enduring, ana the aim Of life should be !,
/ mingle most beautifully, in its season, u
|, blue and the yellow coloring, so when thi
: which is green begins to fade it may be to
$ more golden tint
4 The words OF the prophet still ring In OF
/ ears, I'VE all do fade as a leaf" We ma
: chant them in the ears of the dying; we ma
J quote them with saddened look to the age
{ man, whose silvered locks and tottering stt
8 whisper the near approach OF the Angel
' Death; or we may try to arrest the arde
aspirings of youthful ambitions by its dolef
music, but after all, is our fading Ike q
leaf2 Is there something underneath a
making part of the greenness OF our hy
that is eternal and unfading2
le II the rays Of Gods moral sunlight ha
a. fallen into our hearts, and we haye separat'
each ray into its varied tints and have lou
= thread of golden virtuo twining itself n
the very network OF our bcing, tlien can
!, surely feel that though the green1ess and
= freshness of our lives fade away, it snail
y. y like the fading leaf in the autumn OF
Z. year growing more heautiful BY the g
II shining Of it's goame co'cring = 2. a
= Treadway